I’ve uploaded our first alpha build to Steam and submitted the request to Valve for backer keys. Alpha backers, keep an eye on your inbox over the next few days. Those of you who prefer delivery outside of Steam, shoot me a PM and I’ll see to getting you a direct link. As mentioned before, to keep things manageable on my end I’ll be focusing on PC, Mac and Linux for alpha testing.

What to expect: The build contains the tutorial sequence shown two updates ago in its new, extended form. The demo is short and a lot of things are still rough, but I’m making it available in its current state with the following goals:

1) Identify any major system compatibility issues

2) Get a sense of how things are performing on a wider range of hardware

Following this first release, I’ll be putting out more regular updates which will incrementally extend the content. Once the keys go out I’ll be following up with details on where to send bugs, suggestions, questions, etc.

Monday - September 15, 2014

Liege - Post-Funding Update #29

Apologies to those of you who were looking forward to the alpha release with this update- I decided it’d be better to take some more time to polish things up a bit rather than disappointing with a rushed build. Things are taking longer than planned, but we're getting a lot done and hopefully you like what you see so far!

Liege - Post-Funding Update #28

Update - 07/10/14

Hi everyone!

Since we're moving further into development, I'll be switching from our usual art/sound/dev breakdown and starting instead with:

Gameplay Video

For this update I wanted to give you all an extended look at the game running so you'll have a better sense of how it's all coming together. Those of you who prefer to wait to experience the game first-hand may want to stop here!

Though individually they're not very interesting to watch, the sequence of battles in the video are carefully designed as a progression to teach the players the game's basic combat mechanics. Designing a tutorial for a tactics RPG without any text is tricky business, but I think we'll get there as we continue to tweak based on your feedback during testing (more on this below).

Apart from the tutorial stuff, one point I didn't discuss much in the video is the concept of bannermen, which are playable units not in the main cast. In the video, Alec and Marcus are bannermen who can either be saved or killed (in my play-through, due to my actions, Alec made it while Marcus didn't). If a bannerman survives in battle, he'll continue to appear in future battles as an ally you can develop. Additionally, he'll persist in the world as an NPC while you explore, so you might witness events like his reunion with his kin when your party arrives at his home town.

Since we're not placing heavy emphasis on equipment and loot, this concept is shaping up to add a lot more depth and replayability to the game. It's also turning into an interesting way to scale the game's challenge level, since novice players can focus on keeping the main cast alive to progress through the story, while advanced players can aim to save as many bannermen as possible.

Alpha & Beyond

A playable build for our alpha backers with the first few chapters of the game will be ready by the next update. Over the next few months I'll be sharing updated builds with additional content on a regular basis (save data will persist across updates). To help keep things manageable on our end, initially the test builds will be available for PC, Mac, and Linux. As we get further into testing, I'll be making additional announcements regarding testing on our other platforms.

With the engine port, art overhaul, and scope of the game growing in the last few months, we've had to move the game's release date to sometime near the end of the year. The added time should give us a chance to really take the game as far as we can. For those of you who can't wait to start playing, hopefully having access to the latest build will be enough to keep you occupied.

Liege - Post-Funding Update #26

Development

Code-wise, my focus has been on combat UI and AI.

The UI still needs some tweaks, but the functionality’s coming together pretty nicely.

The AI’s been trickier to get right. Since one or a few bad moves in the game can be fatal, the AI can’t get away with attacking blindly on sight. At this point, it manages to do a pretty good job of predicting future outcomes and avoiding very poor to suicidal moves, and instead of charging blindly, it tries to wait for openings to strike. That said, teaching it to play well while leaving opportunities for players to gain an advantage will take some time to get right.

Anyhow, here’s a video!

Things are still rough overall, and there’s a ton of placeholder assets everywhere. I’ll be focusing on characters and animation once we’ve finished nailing down more of the core gameplay elements. Things should start looking much more interesting once that's done and I can start implementing class abilities.

Lastly, I'll be at GDC next week with Kalen. If any of you will be there as well, let me know. I’d love to hear from you!

Monday - November 25, 2013

Liege - Post-Funding Update #24

Hi everyone! Busy month, lots going on. Here’s the run-down:

Greenlight

We’ve been Greenlit for Steam! Thank you to all of you who voted for us and helped spread the word! Anyone interested in PC/Mac/Linux copies will be eligible for Steam keys, just be sure to indicate your preference when we send out your surveys.

Moving

Since our last update, I moved out to the west coast to be closer to Kalen and Aakaash. Working side by side with Kalen has already made a huge difference as we continue to refine the art direction and set up our asset pipeline to fit our technical constraints. Check our our sweet digs!

Monday - October 14, 2013

Liege - Post-Funding Update #23

Development

As mentioned in previous posts, I've been working on implementing our framework and workflow in our new engine (Unity). For those interested on the technical side of things, I wanted to share a bit about what's going on behind the scenes.

Going into our Unity port, I had a few key requirements apart from simply porting over existing functionality:

As you can see, our content aligns precisely to form the composite image that's seen in-game. This is very different from how 2D is normally handled, but it opens up lots of interesting graphical possibilities.

As this update hopefully shows, things are taking some time as we try things and iterate, but the updates will be more regular as we get further along. Thanks as always for your support, and let us know your thoughts below!

Saturday - August 31, 2013

Liege - Kickstarter Update

Art

We were fortunate to have lots talented artists reach out and express interest in this project, but when I came across Kalen's work, it immediately stood out as a perfect fit. The first thing I noticed were the vibrant colors, dramatic lighting, and unique, painterly feel, and I personally can't wait to see him bring these elements into the world of Liege.

We've been speaking at length about the game's new art style and are hoping to have some in-game samples ready for our next update. In the meantime, check out more of his work here, and his Livestream here.

Sound

So you're all aware, Aakaash has taken full ownership of the game's score and sound, and John Robert has moved off the project. Both are incredibly talented composers but with very different styles, and the decision was made early to ensure consistency in our soundtrack from end to end. We wish John all the best and can't wait to hear what he'll be working on next!

Code

Midway through our campaign, I decided to port our game engine to Unity to support our new target platforms, streamline our production pipeline, and enhance the game's overall look and feel. Unity is an amazing platform, but it's fundamentally different from our previous set of tools. At this point I'm past the steepest part of the learning curve, and I've been plugging away at reimplementing basics like player controls, event handling, and character animation. The port work will be continuing over the next few months, but with Kalen now handling art and basic due diligence out of the way, this process should start moving much quicker.

Tuesday - July 30, 2013

Liege - Game Funded

by Couchpotato, 01:39

Coda Games Liege is funded and achieved all of its announced stretch goals. The developer has an update saying thank you, and giving out more information.

We finished our campaign with over 2,900 supporters and over five times our initial funding target, which was set to cover my minimum living expenses to continue pursuing this full time. Since the campaign launched, Liege has evolved from a small, one man project to something that will be much bigger and better than I could ever have hoped for.

The success we've had has enabled us to bring the game to new platforms, bring on some amazing new talent, and add some exciting new features that will add a ton to the experience. We couldn't have gotten to this point without all of your support. Thank you!

Reward Surveys

I'll begin sending out surveys to collect the necessary details to get rewards out as we get closer to our first alpha release, which will start later this year. In the meantime, if you have any questions for me at all, don't hesitate to reach out directly.

Paypal and the Humble Store

I've set up a separate page to accept Paypal payments, and in the next few days, I'll be updating the page to include payments through the Humble Store as well. If you know anyone who may be interested in the game but missed the chance to support here on Kickstarter, please send them over to http://codagames.com/paypal.

Steam Greenlight

As I mentioned earlier, Liege is currently on Steam Greenlight. Steam is one of the biggest distribution platforms for games out there, and getting onto it means we'll be able to reach a whole new audience. We're currently 50% of the way to the top 100, but we have a long way to go; help us get the rest of the way by voting here!

Artists Wanted

As you know, our Art 2.0 stretch goal means we'll be able to bring some new art talent to the project. I've already started receiving some portfolio samples, but if you're interested or know someone who might be, let me know! I'm looking specifically for someone who can take the game's existing in-game art style, and add some professional polish to take it to the next level. In addition to digital illustration, 3D animation skills are a huge plus.

Follow along

As promised, I'll be posting updates with our progress every few weeks on our website as well as on Facebook and Twitter. If you haven't already, please take a moment to like and follow us! This will be the best way for us to stay in touch, and for you to stay stay up to date with the very latest on the project.

The Road Ahead

The last few weeks have been an incredible, exhausting ride, but we're just getting started. After taking a couple days to catch my breath, I'll be switching my focus back to developing the game and putting our new resources to full use. Over the next year, I'll be working non-stop to make Liege the absolute best it can be. I can't wait to get started.

Sunday - July 21, 2013

Liege - Kickstarter Halftime Show

Liege was another kickstarter project I posted on. The game is already funded with eight days left. The developer was kind enough to post a Kickstarter Halftime Show with game updates.

Hi guys! Lots of stuff has been going on over the last couple weeks. I’ve been super focused on churning out updates for the Kickstarter and trying to get press for the game, so I haven’t been able to update much here, but here’s the run down:

We doubled our funding target with over 1000 backers with about two weeks left in the campaign!

I released an overview of the key figures in the game, as well as some more teasers on the playable cast. Check them out below